


Going down swinging

by ShiningFantasyStar



Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, But its not graphic or covered in detail, Chani is in his last year of highschool, Chani is poor, Courtroom Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Inseong is a lawyer, Law, Light Angst, M/M, Platonic Relationships, Small claims court
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-30 01:32:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18305456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShiningFantasyStar/pseuds/ShiningFantasyStar
Summary: Chani felt as if he was all alone, being sued by a rich family, nobody stood by his side. Almost nobody.





	Going down swinging

**Author's Note:**

> The O/C characters are used because I didn't want to make any of the members the 'bad guys'.   
> Thank you to my amazing friend for the prompt~
> 
> "We’re both in small claims court and I got into a huge fight with the person suing me, but you stepped in to hold me back before security got there."

Chani stood alone, his body illuminated by the pool of light encompassing him and the short table he sat at. He did his best to focus on his breathing, which was slow and shallow, and the few dust particles that he noticed floating around. While he was completely alone, he was very much observed by a crowd, like an animal in a zoo. The pairs of eyes only making the spotlight more unbearable and hot. Chani moved his dark hair from his face and swallowed, his throat dry from keeping silence since his first statement.

“I’m telling you, this is the boy who injured my son! This dirty peasant would throw himself at anyone for a scrap of food” a middle-aged woman shouted, pointing to Chani with her finger, which was adorned with colourful ornaments.

'Ah yes', Chani thought to himself, 'I injured your son by existing in the same room'. Chani sighed softly, furrowing his brows. He knew how this was going to play out for him; Mrs. Yang would continue to play the victim and throw insults at Chani, which didn’t bother him as much as it should have, until the judge finally took her side. It was always like that, Chani was used to it. But this time, with a sinking feeling, he knew it was really going to be over for good. All his struggles against the unfairness of their society, all his hard work studying, all of it. For nothing.

The few people watching the case, murmured softly between themselves, drawing Mrs. Yang’s attention. She clicked her tongue, glancing at her son's broken arm before adjusting one of her deep red rings.

“Can’t you see someone like him shouldn’t have been in our school anyway? It’s clear he must have fabricated documents to get in. Poor ones are like that.”

Chani didn’t speak up, there was no point to do so. Mrs. Yang had the witnesses and documents she felt were ‘relevant’ to her case. While Chani had a good grade report card, and his own dimmed voice pledging his innocence once, with no one to back him up. The way the sumptuous woman spoke of him neither surprised him nor phased him. He’s heard it all before, insults to his name, insults to his reused clothes, insults to his hand-me-down books. Everything. Like how a kid memorised the lines to their favourite cartoons from watching reruns, not that Chani had the chance to have that experience having no tv at home. He has tried fighting and disputing with his peers before, tried to prove them wrong and prove his worth. He quickly learned the futility of his actions, by entertaining his peers and so Chani locked the door to his heart from the age of seven, and kept to himself.

Somewhere in the room, a woman coughed, sprouting more murmurs from the people near her. The judge locked eyes with Chani, questioning if he would comment on the woman's claims or give another opposition. He searched and searched as if hoping to see something in the youths deep, dark eyes. The boy's features showed visible signs of fatigue, and pain, his dark hair seemed darker with the spotlight on him, while his skin looked much paler.

“If he was innocent, he would have provided more proof by now,” Mrs. Yang scoffed, scanning the witness stands for the people agreeing with her statement, “he’s only drawing it out because he can’t compensate us. Him being kicked out of our school and keeping away from my son would be a beginning to compensation, your honour.”

She smiled an overly sweet smile, before nudging her son to speak for himself, her smile falling to a strict line. He cleared his throat, glancing at Chani before quickly focusing on the judge.

“I-It’s true, your honour. I would feel s- safer without Chani in my surroundings.” He spoke, his sentence losing strength with each word. He seemed to be finished with what he was saying until Mrs. Yang unsubtly kicked him under the table. “He has made me feel threatened with his stares before, and now he a- attacked me.”

The atmosphere made Chani feel more sick and uneasy, as he swallowed another thick gulp, trying to stay calm.

“Honestly, I feel sorry for the kid.” Mrs. Yang began jeering in a way that Chani knew meant trouble. “If he and his younger sister weren’t raised by such a good for nothing woman, maybe he wouldn’t have been such a juvenile.”

Chani’s body tensed hearing the inclusion of his family members into the discussion. He curled his hands into balls; he could handle any insult thrown to him, but not his family. Seeing him grow paler, the woman smirked, continuing her accusations.

“That woman could barely keep her husband, or her job, and if you look at the dirty state of her son you can see how she takes care of her children. I wouldn’t be surprised if her daughter became a working girl-”

“What the hell would you know?” Chani yelled, frustration piling up and finally bubbling over. “What the hell could you possibly know about having a hard life? Growing up in a pedigree household in the shadow of your parents, and now your husband.”

Her smirk faded watching Chani’s outburst, twisting her expression into a frown. Some part of Chani knew he should stop himself, the rational part being swallowed by his emotions. His voice was close to a shrill screech as he lashed out from his seat, tears threatened to spill any moment.

“I bet your husband is the one who broke Seokmin’s arm- stuck up people in power always show abusive behaviour. And I am to be the scapegoat?”

Chani bit down on his lips, he knew he had said too much truth, judging by the shellshocked face of both the Yangs. The middle-aged woman quickly snapped from her trance, shooting up from her seat and marching towards Chani with thunderous footsteps. Loose hair poking out from her bun, the shade cast onto her face from the spotlight and the burning rage in her eyes reminded him of a witch from children’s tales. Each movement seemed to happen so fast, that Chani didn’t have time to think until he felt a slap against his face. Then another, whipping his face to the side with the impact. Hot pain flooded his cheeks, and his body moved on it's own throwing his arms up, attempting to shield his face. Angered by this, Mrs. Yang clawed at his arms with her nail extensions, throwing more insults at Chani. The room became a commotion of noises; the witnesses growing louder appalled at her behaviour, yet were unwilling to move to intrude, and Seokmin yelling something to his mother but his hoarse voice blended in with the commotion. The judge yelled for order, only to be ignored, and called for security.

Chani’s small size meant he wasn’t much of a fighter, yet the adrenaline pumping through his body was enough to keep his skinny arms in front of him, protecting himself. The pain in his arms was now numbed down, though a feeling of wetness across his arms was a dead giveaway that she has torn his delicate flesh. The loud noises of the room were seemingly distant, fading into a sort of white noise, as the woman mercilessly used her nails as weapons.

The woman continued her frustrated attack, her anger fueling her imprudent actions. With a moment of epiphany she halted her actions, grabbing Chani by the belt and hoisting him closer to her, forcing Chani to drop his guard as he stumbled. Fear overwhelmed the short boy, and his first instinct was to lash out defensively. He threw a struggling punch to the woman, when a warm hand wrapped itself on his shoulder, pulling him back before he made any contact. Chani’s body tensed as he whipped his head back expecting a security officer, instead being met with a tall, slender, blonde man dressed in a navy suit. He smiled warmly at Chani, shaking his head softly, which Chani immediately understood and dropped his arms. This tall stranger took his side, and he could feel the youth relax under his hand. He stepped forward, shielding Chani with his body, and severing the woman's contact to his belt. He smiled sweetly to her, mocking her smile from before.

“Mrs. Yang, I’d suggest you stand down, this outburst will not help your case at all” the tall man spoke in a calm tone, which shot dangers into the infuriated woman. “Your honour, with all due respect, I believe it’s best to reschedule this case. For when Ms. Yang is in a better state.”

While the security burst in, after what felt like years to Chani, they only spared a glance to Chani and the stranger before apprehending the woman. The judge nodded in agreement gazing at the utter mess in front of him, before hitting his gavel, the sound cleanly echoing through the small room.

“Court is adjourned.”

Ms. Yang, appalled, began arguing with the judge and security, her struggling becoming more desperate and wild as her face twisted from anger to realisation. Chani couldn’t hear any of the background noise, he looked up to the stranger who had come to his rescue and held him back before he gave up and made the biggest mistake of his life. The blonde smiled down at him, with the same warm, reassuring smile as when he first entered. The spotlight which made Chani feel hot, alone and watched, highlighted the strangers' silhouette giving him an angelic appearance.

“Let’s go” he whispered to Chani and gently led him out of the room.

Chani wasn’t sure when the stranger took a hold of his hand, but he followed anyway, wanting nothing more than to be out of the stuffy air. The two had multiple pairs of eyes focused on them as they left the room, but it wasn’t comparable to the eyes Chani felt before- he wasn’t alone to lift their weight. The stranger kept a soft hold of Chani’s hand as he leads him out onto the street. Chani could easily wriggle from his grasp, but didn’t, choosing to take in deep breaths of fresh air. The adrenaline was beginning to drain from his body and he could slowly feel his body become heavier. They pulled to a stop outside a corner store, to which the man turned to Chani again, smiling softly.

“Wait here, alright? I’ll be back in a minute or two.”

“Alright” Chani muttered, hating the sound of his own voice. It felt distant from his own body.

Chani trailed the blonde man with his eyes before he disappeared from sight. The dark haired boy couldn’t shake the feeling from him that he knew the man, that, or he was trying to reason himself as to why he was still following him. ‘He helped me, and is warm’ Chani reasoned with himself, ‘if he does anything suspicious, I’m out’. True to his word, the man was in and out within minutes, gently grabbing Chani’s hand and starting to lead him again.

“I’m sorry, we’re almost there. Can you walk okay?”

“Yeah, but, where are we going?”

“The park.”

Silence fell between them as they walked on, Chani was beginning to feel the exhaustion settling in, deciding he didn't need to question the stranger. The blonde glanced back at Chani a few times, concern flashing in his light brown eyes. A few people shared glances looking at the pair, Chani assumed it was scandalous to witness two men holding hands.

“Are you okay to just follow me like this? You haven't questioned who I am at all.”

“You were on my side, you stepped in when I was alone when a room full of people ignored me,” Chani spoke carefully, his voice warming up with each sentence spoken, though still silent compared to the cities commotion. But the man listened intently, observing Chani’s small face. “You've given me no reason to doubt your intentions.”

A huge grin spread across the blondes face as he scruffed Chani's hair.

“You're such a smart and sensible kid, Chani,” he spoke close to a laugh, “but you are terrible at remembering people, huh.”

Confusion spread on Chani's face. The man confirmed his earlier suspicion that they met before, and Chani wracked his tired brain as to where. The man laughed finding his focused face hilarious.

“Kim Inseong”, he spoke searching for signs of recognition on the youngers' face.

“From the job fair?” Chani questioned. “Lee and Kim Law firm?”

Inseong chuckled leading him through the park gates. The bustling city quickly disappeared between the trees and pond area. The warming weather drew out various groups of people to spend their time here. Elderly couples sat on park benches overlooking the pond and occasionally feeding ducks and other birds. High School kids that appeared to be around Chani's age lounged around on the grass forming chatting circles or playing around. A few parents watched over their children in the playground area, Chani assumed they were finished with school for the day since it was the early afternoon and a couple of dogs barked excitedly playing together. The atmosphere of the park was much like a sanctuary, a safe space which welcomed everyone into its arms.

Inseong stopped under the shade of a great willow tree, letting go of Chani's hand before gracefully plopping down onto the grass. The plastic bag dropped beside him, and he pat the space next to him, inviting Chani to sit.

“What never seen a business man sit down on grass?” Inseong questioned, with a grin that didn't seem to leave his face.

Chani shook his head and sat next to him, only to be met with a stinging pain shooting through his arms. Noticing his grimace, Inseong rummaged through the bag, retrieving band-aids, peroxide, and tissues.

“Show me your arms,” Inseong spoke with a soft, yet commanding tone.

Chani stretched his arms towards the blonde, whose face crinkled into a frown. Chani followed his gaze to his own arms, finally assessing the damage. His arms were covered in red marks; some leaving swollen trails, some breaking through his flesh and drawing blood. The majority have begun to clot, leaving a mess of dried blood all over his arms. Two deeper gashes were still bleeding, and from Inseongs face, Chani could tell he wondered if he needed stitches. With the adrenaline clear from his system, he could feel the hot, prickly sensation all over his arms paired with exhaustion which came from seemingly nowhere.

“It's going to sting a little. Are you ready?”

Chani nodded his head, squeezing his eyes shut. Inseong felt a pang of sadness looking at the boy; he put up a brave front but he was still young and already shutting away his heart. Something Inseong has witnessed before. Carefully, Inseong poured the antiseptic onto Chani’s arms, which instantly reacted into a violent bubbling. The dark haired boy his and fought his own instincts of flinching. Inseong muttered an apology before gently wiping the remaining blood. Once the bubbles settled down, Inseong finished his care work with well-placed band-aids.

“Thank you, Mr. Kim.”

“No need to be so formal with me,” he spoke with a light laugh “just treat me like an older brother.”

“Thank you for helping me Mr- I mean Inseong. But, why? Why did you trust me?”

Inseong pursed his lips in thought, rummaging through the plastic bag. He passed a chocolate ice cream to Chani with a warm smile. While Chani felt grateful and took the gift, he still felt confused as to why someone took his side. Inseong didn’t rush with answering Chani's question, he simply enjoyed his ice cream.

“I was simply at the right place at the right time” Inseong began, looking off into the park. “I recognised the school name, so I decided to observe the trial. I didn't expect to see you though. From the job fair, I remembered you as the hard-working kid who kept to himself. You asked so many questions about possible employment- sorry I'm getting off track.”

“That couldn’t have been enough to trust in me; even if first impressions are strong,” Chani mumbled thoughtfully, eating another piece of ice-cream. Inseong faced him now, his eyes gently gazing into Chani’s dark ones. There was a hint of sadness in them, that Chani couldn't place.

Inseong took a large bite of his ice-cream, which he has eaten with incredible speed, before speaking up again.

“Truthfully, you reminded me of someone that I lost years ago, someone dear to me. You sat in the place of the accused, with the same dejected, blank look he did- alone, scared, hopeless. I wavered back then, lost faith in his innocence, and that was the breaking point for him. Seeing you, Chani, seeing you just like him made me want to protect you.”

Tears streamed down Chani’s face; partly from Inseongs confession, partly from the compressed emotions he had locked up. A feeling Chani hasn't felt in months bubbled up in his body, like a warm, welcoming embrace around his heart; he felt hope. Chani’s ice-cream dropped by his side as he brought both hands to his face trying to stop his tears. Inseong silently wrapped Chani into a hug, allowing the boys' tears to stain his suit instead. He rubbed circles into his small, trembling back, and his body leaped violently with each gasp for air between sobs.

Chani hasn’t cried in years, but letting it all flow out like this felt relieving, the world became that much warmer. He cried and cried; for all the unjust situations he faced, for all the moments of happiness, he felt with his family, for all the sad smiles his mother gave him. For everything and anything that came to his mind. He tried to stop himself, but Inseongs soft voice encouraged him:

“Let it all out kid, you’ve done well. You've protected yourself.”

Chani's sobs faded into silence after what felt like an hour of Inseongs comfort. He remained in Inseongs embrace, occasionally sniffling a little more. When he slowly pulled away, he glanced at the wet sabotage strewn across Inseongs shirt and suit.

“I'm sorry for your clothes” he mumbled with a bittersweet smile plastered on his face.

“Nothing to worry about, a dry cleaner needs work too.” Inseong chuckled. He reassuringly pat Chani on the back, before his smile faded to a more serious expression. “You're graduating soon, correct?”

“I am” Chani replied confused.

“Come work for me!” Inseong exclaimed with bright eyes and a brilliant smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Feel free to leave me some feedback in the comments.  
>  I really enjoyed writing this work and would love to revisit sometime to explore how Chani's future changes under Inseongs care~ Let me know if that would be something of interest to you!


End file.
